i'm debating just running my mia p-bass thru a sans amp pedal, the go direct to the board. but i dont know. i dont want to sit around in the studio and cost the band money just to see if something will sound better.

also, i'll prolly just do both, then take the better of the two signals, or maybe blend both.

Also see how it sounds with all your treble and high-mids taken from the mic, and all your bass and low-mids taken from the DI. This should help provide low end clarity/accurate lows without the harsh topend the DI often produces. Plus, you can dial in your tone on the amp.

Recording with a real amp/cab setup is always a good route to go. Modellers are good, but not quite as good as the real thing. The general rule of thumb, even today with all the technology that is available now, is still to record two tracks of bass at the very least: One DI from the bass guitar, and the other mic'ed cab. You said you have good gear? Then don't be afraid to use it. Don't worry too much about taking too much time getting your tones in the studio. I bet you'll find something totally useable fairly quickly, especially if you are dealing with an engineer/producer who really knows their stuff.

You may want to also experiment with dialing in a bit of overdrive from the amp. It doesn't have to be much. I don't know what kind of music your band plays, but a hint of overdrive on the amp channel helps the bass track to really "sit" in the mix. Even if you're recording a pretty clean, non-agressive song. I've been recording in studios for over 20 years, and this is one of the best tricks there is to let a bass track shine.

Another trick I've used in the studio is positioning a condensor mic in the booth with me and aiming it at my bass. This picks up some of the pick/finger nose as well as the sound of my fingers sliding across the strings. When mixed back in very lightly it makes the bass track sound a tad more alive as opposed to the very sterile pure amp/DI track.